Propose-a-Game / Request-a-Host Thread

Way too lengthy, and there's nothing accomplished in 16 vs 16 chess besides agitation. Having 16 people try and collaborate is a pain (a lot of recent mafia games are having issues with just a group of 4 collaborating successfully) and really there's going to be 1 or 2 people running the whole thing on each side and telling everybody else what to do anyways, so really you're just burdening the rest of the players into paying attention. And if the board is not revealed how in the world do they know where to move?

There's a ton of flaws in the idea that it just isn't plausible, I don't see any way to rescue the idea unfortunately.

Oh, since I'm posting anyways, I think it'd be a good idea to move this topic and the upcoming changes topic to the subforum.

The 2001 Japanese cult classic is one of my all-time favorite movies. It's chilling, has great characters, and sports a message that I can relate to. But mostly, it just tickles my fancy as a game designer. While I may never be able to replicate the emotional impact of such a situation in game form, I've tried in many different ways to turn Battle Royale into a game. Now, different forums have different resources to draw from, but when I thought about how I could apply BR to Smogon a stroke of brilliance hit me.

Shoddy Battle Royale

Battle Royale games are played with 32 players, starting in 16 spaces in a 4x4 grid. At the start of each round, the announcer will warn all combatants that at the end of the round one space will become a permanent dead zone. The game ends when only one player is left standing, or it ends at the end of round 16 with no winners.

Set-Up

When signing up for the game, players will also PM the host a Character Creation. Each player has an ability score between 1 and 5 in four different categories, and each player gets 10 points in total.

Battle
This determines the amount of EVs each Pokemon the player uses gets.

Intelligence
This determines the player's ability to create new items, find berries in the wild, and set traps.

Stealth
This determines the player's ability to stay hidden, scout out enemy teams, and steal from the opponent.

Charisma
Should roleplay fail, this gives the player the ability to talk their way out of a fight, or even force subordination at higher levels. This ability is less practical than Battle, and less Ubiquitous than Intelligence or Stealth, but it is powerful. However, if you force someone to follow you, you will not be notified when the effect wears off.

When the players are chosen and the game starts, each player will secretly receive 10 Pokemon (3 OU, 1 BL, 3 UU, and 3 NU). These Pokemon will be somewhat randomized, but will not be totally unbalanced (I'll rerandomize any groups with 5 fire types, for instance). Out of these Pokemon you choose 6 to play with. Each player will also start with 3 items (none of them will be useless, but if you want a choice item or leftovers your best bet is to put 5 points into Intelligence).

Yes, some starting teams will be better than others. If this was a true BR sim, one unlucky player would get a team of Luvdiscs, so be thankful for whatever you get.

Each player will then send me their finished teams, with no more EVs than their Battle ability allows and only the items they received. Players may use any legal moveset.

Rounds and Actions

I will then message each player with their starting position, and whether they encounter another player or not. I will also make a general post stating which area will be a dead zone at the end of the round (if you're in it, you'd better move).

Each player can take two actions per round. These are;

Rest
Restores one feinted Pokemon to full health. You choose which Pokemon to bring back.

Build Item
The player attempts to create a new item. The higher the player's Intelligence, the better the item.

Find Berries
The player searches for berries. The higher the player's Intelligence, the more berries they will find and the better they will be. (Berries are single use, if used in battle you lose it forever).

Set Traps
The player sets a trap that has a chance of successfully activating against enemy that enters the same space. The higher the player's Intelligence, the more likely the trap is to feint an enemy Pokemon.

Search for Others
The player tries to find other players. The higher the player's Stealth, the more likely this will work without exposing the player to others.

Hide
The player reduces their likelihood of being encountered for this round. The higher the player's Stealth, the better this move is.

The next three moves only work if you have encountered another player. They do not need to know that you have seen them for these to work.

Steal
Steal an item from another player. Higher Stealth increases selection when stealing and reduces chance of being caught.

Movement
In addition to two actions, each player may either move 1 space or stay out each round.

Encounters and Roleplay

When one player finds another, they may contact the other player to start a roleplay, but they may do nothing.

When two players see each other however, they should roleplay over IRC. I will create a room for this purpose.

How you roleplay is up to you, but it can conclude in several ways.

Battle
Both players choose a time to get on Shoddy Battle, then PM me the time. I will try to show up for the fight, but if I do not send me a log of it. If either player wants to fight, then they must fight, unless one player uses a Charisma power. Battle Rules can be found further down.

Walk Away
Both players may agree to simply part ways without violence.

Bribe
One player may bribe another to leave them alone for the rest of the round, or to join forces. They may give items or even Pokemon (see battle rules for info regarding acquiring more than 6 Pokemon). Whatever the players decide, a bribe must be upheld. If another player bribes you, you must uphold your end of the agreement.

Join Forces
Up to four players may be in a group at a time. There is strength in numbers. More eyes means less Stealth players sneaking up on you, and any one player would be reluctant to attack a large group on their own. However, trusting other players could leave you open to being stabbed in the back.

Back Stab
When two or more players are in a group, any member may PM me and announce that they would like to back stab another. By back stabbing them, you can knock out one Pokemon of your choice before fighting them. If you don't know what Pokemon your teammate has, the feinted Pokemon is random. Other members of your group may know what you did, or they might not, but they'll certainly wonder why one of them suddenly died.

Charismatic Flee
If your opponent wants to fight you, you may use your Charisma ability to flee from the fight. PM me, based on your Charisma ability and a die I will determine whether you succeed or not.

Force Subordination
You may force another player to follow your orders for an indeterminate number of rounds. PM me, and depending on your Charisma ability I will roll to see whether this works. I will not tell you the result, I will tell your opponent. You will not know when this wears off. Another player may not back stab you while Force Subordination is active.

Battle and Rewards
The following rules are active during battle, Sleep Clause, OHKO Clause, and Evasion Clause.

If a Berry is used during battle, it is used forever and must be removed from your team after the battle unless you have another one.

If Trick is used, or any other item changing ability, this change in item ownership is permanent.

At the end of the battle, if any of your Pokemon are KO'd you must use Rest until you can use them again. If you get into a fight before your team is fully rested, replace your Knocked Out Pokemon with a Level 1 Magikarp and do not switch to it. Any Pokemon that isn't knocked out is returned to full health after each battle, due to Shoddy Battle limitations.

After winning a fight, you get to pilfer 1 Item and 1 Pokemon from your opponent. If you have more than 6 Pokemon, 1 must be permanently discarded. You may not change the moveset or nature of your opponent's Pokemon, but you may change its item. Depending on your Battle ability, you may have to add or subtract EVs from your new Pokemon. You may only add or subtract, you may not redistribute. Whenever obtaining a new Pokemon, always send me your new team.

And thats it. Rounds will ideally be 48 hours long, but will take longer due to individual Pokemon battles. Battle Royale is always a fun and intriguing game to play, and Shoddy Battle will only make it better. I need at least 8 People to express interest in the game, so please post your thoughts.

Regarding Veedrock's post, I think that you are right about the agitating aspect of it, but isn't that what all mafias are like, except instead of chess moves it is kills? I see this as a very innovative form of mafia more than a 16 vs 16 chess game, but perhaps I should alter the rules to reflect that.

Also, I see what you mean about the unrevealed board being difficult. Honestly I hadn't given the idea enough thought when I posted this. Is there some way to get feedback on the idea? I think the concept is salvageable.

@vonFielder: You have clearly given your idea a lot of thought! I worry that the rules are a bit too complicated though, and as a result you might not get a lot of interest, especially when it is ultimately just a convoluted way of battling. What would make someone want to do this rather than simply joining a tourney?

Certain websites I've been to have had an RPG battle system built into them, others I had to make rules of combat from whole cloth. However the combatants fight, the real intrigue of the Battle Royale lies in the roleplay and strategic elements. Some players will put all their points into the Battle Ability, and hope that superior EVs wins the game for them. Some will really on the Intelligence Ability, hoping that Choice Items, Life Orb, Leftovers and etc. will prevail over a team with basic items. Some will use the Stealth Ability, and scout out which teams they can safely handle in a fight. But some players won't rely on abilities at all, and will instead use roleplay to set themselves up with a strong group, backstab the weakest member, then pass the blame onto another member.

On forums where there was an average of 50 users on at a time, I've found interest in Battle Royale, and that was without Shoddy Battle (which I believe will only make BR more awesome). With 366 people on right now (and 800 earlier today), I'm sure we can fill up the roster.

Okay, this is a sorta game I had in mind back before I came to Smogon that actually ran somewhat successfully.

Castle Wars (no, not the shitty ctf minigame on Runescape)

In a nutshell, there's 23 to 27 players on a field, each with their own castle. Every castle has about 500 structural integrity, or Int, and special attack power, known as Mana. Original, yes.

Gameplay is as follows. Every person is assigned to a team, much like a factioned Mafia, with a 23 person game having 4 teams of 5 plus 3 neutrals, which the basis should be on. Each team in question is to work together to destroy everyone else not sporting their colours, while staying stable at the same time. To do so, they must make one of seven actions a day.

These actions involve a regular attack, an invasive attack that will leave them open to further damage the next day, a reinforcing that will reduce damage from others that day, a manafont that will either turn mana into integrity or vice versa, a mindblast attack that hits mana instead of integrity, a clarity strike that will either reduce damage ability or increase defensive power of the target, and a special attack unique to each person.

Mana caps at 100, which is required for special attacks, and is naturally generated at a rate of 10 mana a day. Integrity remains a static figure, but if one person eliminates another by reducing integrity to zero, their maximum integrity will increase by 50.

The game itself will last until one team remains, or unless there is neutral dominance.

Perhaps my last suggestion was a bit too much a child of two worlds, while I know it'd still be awesome it's not what this forum is used to in either forum games or shoddy battling. So after playing a Mafia game, I figured I'd make a Battle Royale game Smogon would feel more at home with. It's the simplest BR game I've made to date, and possibly the truest to the source material.

There's no villagers, no mafia, and no lynching. But there are Roles (some familiar and some new), Abilities, and Items. Players will make their own factions as the game progresses, and most players will have the win condition of being the last player alive. That's not to say that there won't be alternate win conditions and a few starting factions however.

The game takes place in Hours instead of Days. Most players will start the game out of contact with every other player, but in addition to your ability (and any ability an item may give you), you can do one of the following each hour;

Hour X - Make Contact With USER
You attempt to find USER, and if successful both players will be aware of eachother's presence and may communicate during the next hour.

Hour X - Search For USER
You attempt to search for USER, and if successful you will make contact with them without them being aware of you. You may communicate with them during the next hour.

Hour X - Kill USER
If you've found USER, you may attempt to kill them. Be aware however that an attempt to kill USER could result in them killing you. Many factors will give you an upper hand, from having a better weapon, to being hidden, to gaining their trust. Multiple players can gang up on one to kill them easier, likewise, players in a group will defend eachother from outsiders.

Hour X - Run Away From USER
You attempt to Run Away from a USER who you're in contact with, who you believe will try to kill you.

Any players who have made contact can form a group, if they all PM the host about this. Being in a group provides protection from outside forces, but members in your group can still betray you.

Gameplay can be fast and furious, but once players split into factions it should become very interesting.

I've got the Role PMs worked up already, but I'd like to ask for a co-host more experienced in running Mafia type games (not because I'm incapable, but to ensure the game runs to Smogon's standards) and obviously there are too many mafia games to run this yet. But please post if you think this sounds interesting.

Moderator

I like the idea vonFiedler, but I am confused about the groups a little bit.

Being in a group provides protection from outside forces

Click to expand...

Explain this a bit more in detail. From what I am reading, your win condition doesn't change upon entering a group, and people in your group can still kill you, so other than this "outside force protection", I do not see a benefit of grouping with someone. Perhaps making it so your win condition becomes "your faction is the last alive", although that seems like it would drastically change gameplay.

I like the idea vonFiedler, but I am confused about the groups a little bit.

Explain this a bit more in detail. From what I am reading, your win condition doesn't change upon entering a group, and people in your group can still kill you, so other than this "outside force protection", I do not see a benefit of grouping with someone. Perhaps making it so your win condition becomes "your faction is the last alive", although that seems like it would drastically change gameplay.

Click to expand...

Specifically, being in a group reduces the likelihood of being killed by someone not in your group. Reduces, but not eliminates.

It's a paradox, but it's a purposeful one. In my experience, players will always band together for about the first half of the game and then slowly start turning on eachother. Being in a group is safer than being by yourself, so long as you betray your friends before they betray you. Now keep in mind, there are alternate win conditions to being the last player alive, so more than one player can win.

At the same time, some players would never join a group because they feel they are better off on their own than having to trust others.

I was thinking just before about the possibility of combining cricket with mafia. Odd, I know, but I have a few ideas. Could be two teams against each other, with a few neutrals (umpires or something lol), with some way of scoring runs during the day/night. Obviously a death would be equal to losing a wicket. I haven't thought much in-depth about it, as I'm new to mafia and as such don't really quite get the inner workings to designing a mafia variant like this, but if anyone's interesting in the concept you can PM me and we could brainstorm and stuff.

Thanks. Now that I have a bit of support, I feel like going into more detail concerning killing other players.

First of all, I was looking over the Diplomacy game and I feel I have a better answer to zorbees question. The question of teaming up in Battle Royale is the same as in Diplomacy. You can't stop your "ally" from stabbing you in the back, and by the nature of the game they'll have to eventually. But this doesn't stop people from allying for short term gain.

Onto kills.

At any point in time, Player A may know where Player B is, but Player B might not know where Player A is. This is very important, not just in killing but with Role Abilities. Mind you, if Player A contacts Player B by any means in character, Player B will know where Player A is.

Every player will receive a random item, and most of these are weapons. Each weapon has a Combat Rating between 1 and 5. When you kill, you specify which weapon you attack with.

In addition to your weapon, you gain the following bonuses and penalties;
+1 For attacking an opponent who doesn't know your whereabouts.
+1 For every three hours you've been in the faction with your target (unless they try to kill you in the same hour).
-2 For using a melee weapon against someone with a ranged weapon, except in the above two scenarios.
+1 For every ally who assists you in killing.
-1 For each of your targets allies (unless backstabbing).
-2 If your target Runs Away. (-1 with a ranged weapon)
+1 If your opponent doesn't attempt to kill you in the same hour.

Your total Combat Rating is compared to that of your targets, and as a result three things can happen.

If you outrank them by a wide margin, you are most likely to kill them.
If you slightly outrank them or fall short, you might injure them (they lose an hour) or fail but escape with your life.
If you are severely outranked, you may be injured (lose an hour) or even get killed.

All five of these are possible outcomes in any fight, but the higher your Combat Rating the more guaranteed the kill.

Moderator

I'm trying to put together a lynchpin-esque game, but I still need a co-host. It should be open themed and I was just planning on choosing characters of stuff I thought would be cool and fitting of the roles I've included thus far. I have a good portion of a distribution of the roles between factions handled, but I'd really appreciate some additional help with balancing the game and getting another opinion in would be greatly appreciated. PM me if interested! Thanks.

I thought up a little something this morning, something along the lines of "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?"
Basically, one person would be Carmen San Diego, hidden in some location. Different people will be given little snippets of clues, and all people are allowed to collaborate with other players or lie about the clue they're given.
This could be made into a mafia-esque game (though I'm not entirely sure how those work) with different factions and vying for different clues, one faction could want to kill Carmen while another one may want to find her. It's really an open idea, but the main basis is one person (whose identity would be a secret) would be in some location and couldn't be killed/saved until people knew the location. It could have items, factions, roles, abilities, whatever. Just throwing out the idea to see if there's any interest or anyone willing to help host it and simultaneously show me the ropes.

I've gotten most of an Overkill Mafia II sorted out, but my timezone means that updates are usually inconvenient/have to be delayed. If you are interested in cohosting, please PM me. Better still will be some kind of moderator, as they can avoid the flooding limit.

EDIT: I finished sorting oi out. Mekkah has also approved it. I would appreciate if somebody offered to cohost.

Okay, I've done forum games on some other forums. And I saw that the only thing that people mainly play here are Mafia games and such...Now I'm not saying that's bad, but I got a game idea that is fairly cool and new.

This game is based around turn based strategy. This type of game is NOT a diplomacy game, though diplomacy is good. In this game, you are a "specific" CO (commanding officer) who is part of a faction with other COs. You control a set of units within your faction, and receive a daily income of funds based on what territories you control. With these funds, you purchase units and upgrades. Games like these usually have a round based system in which all participating players post their actions for that round, then the results are posted up and such. This is round system is not to be mistaken as a mafia theme also. Players, much like in any strategy game, move their units from territory to territory. Rules as to how a territory is captured is determined by the host before the game is played and is shown in the original post. Usually, each faction or team will have a choice of two to four CO's, each with their own special ability. Once again, how the abilities function is up to the host to determine before playing the game. The host may also decide if the CO's can directly take part in actions (such as combat alongside his/her units) or not.

To keep threads from being filled up, the host must edit their posts on any updates. Also, players are encouraged to make their own initial post and regularly update it when a round has been completed. The game is a bit slower (or it can be fast depending on the activity of the players and host), and it isn't based on time, as it is based on everyone finishing their actions. Sometimes, a round may be completed if a person takes forever in posting their action.

My game is called Army Men: The Battle for the Front Yard. It's based on the plastic toy soldiers that used to be ever popular before video games, and also it takes some inspiration from the N64 game, Sarge's Heroes. In my game, rounds are also divided into "Sub-Rounds", which are much like rounds, but more actions are split up and more complex. There are 10 slots for players, but more can be opened up later on, with three different factions.

Anyways, I don't know how many people will support this, but I think that this is a unique game on it's own. If necessary, I will provide the game I talked about earlier, which I made earlier at another forum that I really wanted to try out.

I would like an experienced cohost for my upcoming Standard Mafia game, Lord of the Flies Mafia. The majority of the work on the game is done, so the cohost will mostly help me balance and run the game.

I would be happy to cohost any mafia game provided that it won't require any time for another week. I am going to be finishing up my finals and such in this week and then I am basically done for the semester. If you are interested in having me cohost please PM me.